My thoughts as I walk this path…

It provides you with protection. It is stocked with food and drink that will last forever. It never decays or crumbles. Its windows open onto vistas of glory.

God built it at great cost to himself and to his Son, and he gave it to you.

The “purchase” agreement is called a “new covenant.” The terms read: “This house shall become and remain yours if you will receive it as a gift and take delight in the Father and the Son as they inhabit the house with you. You shall not profane the house of God by sheltering other gods nor turn your heart away after other treasures.”

Would it not be foolish to say yes to this agreement, and then hire a lawyer to draw up an amortization schedule with monthly payments in the hopes of somehow balancing accounts?

You would be treating the house no longer as a gift, but a purchase. God would no longer be the free benefactor. And you would be enslaved to a new set of demands that he never dreamed of putting on you.

If grace is to be free — which is the very meaning of grace — we cannot view it as something to be repaid. Selected

His Grace is new . . . every Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

God is His own equivalent, and God needs nothing but Himself to achieve the great purposes on which He has set His heart.

I AM THAT I AM Exodus 3:14

Whatever life may bring to you,
“God” will ring true to you;
Star in your sky—
Food in your store—
Staff in your hand—
Friend by your side—
Light on your path—
Joy in your heart—
In your ears music—
In your mouth songs.
Yes, rapid as your race may run,
And scorching as may shine your sun,
And bitter as may blow your blast,
And lonely as your lot be cast—
Whatever life may bring to you,
“God” will aye ring true to you.
Charles. Herbert

Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23

God …changes the man by changing the mind. And how does it happen?
By…considering the glory of Christ…
To behold him is to become like him. As Christ dominates your thoughts, he
changes you from one degree of glory to another until–hang on!–you are
ready to live with him.
Heaven is the land of sinless minds…Absolute trust. No fear or anger. Shame
and second-guessing are practices of a prior life. Heaven will be wonderful,
not because the street are gold, but because our thoughts are pure.
So what are you waiting on?…Give him your best thoughts, and see if he
doesn’t change your mind. Next Door Savior Max Lucado

Set your mind on the things above,
Not on the things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2 NASB

One touch of Your hands
And the blind can see
One touch of Your hands
And the prisoner is free
With just one touch
You calm the sea
Reach out, Dear Lord
Touch me.

One touch of Your hands
And the dead are raised
One touch of Your hands
And sinners are saved
With just one touch
The lame run free
Reach out, Dear Lord
Touch me.

One touch of Your hands
And the deaf hear song
One touch of Your hands
And the weak are strong
With just one touch
Evil bends its knee
Reach out, Dear Lord
Touch me.

Luke 18:36-43
And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Psalms 3:2-5
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me

What can I do to insure victory; to have assurance that I can have my vessel full for the Lord; how can I keep from being a leaking vessel? I know there is a difference between a leaking vessel and a broken vessel.

Lord, I want my will to be broken, to so be at one with thine own that there would be no way to tell the two wills apart.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. II Corinthians 4:7-10

However, we possess this precious treasure (the divine Light of the Gospel)in (frail, human) vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. We are hedged in (pressed) on every side (troubled and oppressed in every way), but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair; We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted (to stand alone); we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed; always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the (resurrection) life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies. The Amplified Bible

I will remember that this earthen vessel can manifest the life of Christ.

After reading about my vocation; I read on in Ephesians 4 and verse 29 bounced around on the page: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Amplified Bible states it like this: Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word, nor unwholesome or worthless talk (ever) come out of your mouth, but only such (speech) as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.)
“Minister grace unto the hearers,” but grace is unmerited favor. Does that mean that I’m to speak gently and kindly to others even when they don’t deserve it? I’m sure that is what it means.
Proverbs 31 Woman in verse 26 reminds me, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness”
Amplified Bible She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness (giving counsel and instruction.)

Is this the reason the opening of a vessel is called the mouth and the rim of the vessel is called the lip?

In my musings about being a vessel, I thought I might as well wear a ‘V’ on my chest, and I grimaced. My mind then made the leap from vessel to victor, and I smiled.” I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13,19.
Then I thought of vocation:
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the (divine) calling to which you have been called (with behavior that is a credit to the summons of God’s service, living as becomes you) with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another. Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of (and produced by) the Spirit in the binding power of peace. Amplified Bible
How blessed I am with a vocation that promises victory by simply being a vessel.

“Prayer and housekeeping—they go together. They have always gone together. We simply know that our daily round is how we live. When we clean and order our homes, we are somehow also cleaning and ordering ourselves. How we hold the simplest tasks speaks loudly about how we hold life itself.”

How are we to fulfill our Lord’s injunction, “that men out always to pray, and not to faint”? By the heart’s prayer which consists in a constant habitual love of God, trusting Him, submitting in all things to His will; and by giving a never failing heed to His voice, as heard within the conscience. Jean Nicolas Grou